Zuiko
Zuiko is the name of the camera lenses made by Olympus, from the first one, mounted in 1936 on the Semi Olympus, to the present day. All the Olympus cameras use the Zuiko lenses made by the company. Zuikō is written 瑞光 in Japanese and can be translated as "auspicious optics" or "auspicious light". The name was adopted after a contest open to the company employees, Maitani, "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken"; Sakai, p. 7 of no. 20; Francesch, p. 19. being a contraction of the first characters of "Mizuho Kōgaku Kenkyūjo" (瑞穂光学研究所, meaning Mizuho Optical Research Institute), name of a branch of Takachiho Seisakusho (the later Olympus) founded to develop the camera lens. Where a lens is denominated with a letter before the Zuiko name (e.g. D.Zuiko or F.Zuiko) it represents the number of optical elements in the lens. The letter's placing in the alphabet corresponds to the number of elements present — so a D.Zuiko lens has 4 elements, and a F.Zuiko has 6. Zuiko interchangeable lenses * OM series: see Olympus OM lenses * M42 (FTL) series: see 42mm screw lenses * Pen F series: see Olympus Pen F lenses * Ace series: see Olympus Ace * Exakta lens: see Exakta lenses * Leica screw lens: see 39mm screw lenses * Olympus Standard lenses: see Olympus Standard * Zuiko Digital series for the Four-Thirds system: see Four-Thirds lenses Zuiko for other companies The Zuiko lenses were also mounted on some cameras made by other Japanese companies: * Airesflex by Aires * Elmoflex by Elmo * Mamiya Six by Mamiya * Wagoflex by Walz * Wester Chrome Six R by Nishida * perhaps some Semi Minolta by Chiyoda Kogaku List of Zuiko lenses 13.5×18mm lenses A range of 'Zuiko Digital'-branded lenses developed for the Four-Thirds digital SLR system. See Four-Thirds lenses for further details. 18×24mm lenses A range of interchangeable SLR lenses for the half-frame Pen F system — see Olympus Pen F lenses for further details. 24×36mm lenses A single Zuiko 4cm f/2.8 lens was made in Leica screw mount; see 39mm screw lenses. A single Zuiko 4cm f/3.5 lens was made in Exakta mount; see Exakta lenses. A small range of interchangeable lenses in 42mm screw mount was developed for the Olympus FTL; see 42mm screw lenses for further details. A large range of interchangeable lenses for the 35mm OM system was developed over a period of thirty years; see Olympus OM lenses for further details. 4×4cm lenses * 60/2.8 Olympus D.Zuiko, 4 elements, taking and viewing lens of the Eye Flex B * 60/3.5, elements unknown, taking and viewing lens of the Eye Flex A 4×5cm lenses Interchangeable lenses of the Olympus Standard: see Olympus Standard. 4.5×6cm and 6×6cm lenses The first prototype lenses made by Takachiho in 1936 include the 75/4.5 mounted on the Semi Olympus, a 105/4.5 for 6.5×9cm format (listed below), and perhaps a 75/3.5. The 75/3.5 is only mentioned in Sakai, p. 7 of no. 20. http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1266/565416670_afe13fe9e9_m_d.jpg The "lowest" and "highest" numbers correspond to the serial numbers actually observed. * 75/4.5, four elements, three groups ** marked Takatiho Tôkyô Zuikô 1:4.5 f=75mm. No.xxxx, black face (lowest 1048, highest 1142): *** Semi Olympus ** marked Zuikô 1:4,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxx, black face (lowest 2001, highest 3797): *** Semi Olympus II ** marked Zuiko 1:4,5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxx, black face (lowest 5253, highest 7157): *** one isolated example of the Semi Olympus *** Semi Olympus II *** Olympus Six I * 75/4.5, five elements, three groups ** marked Zuiko–S 1:4,5 f=7,5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.1xxxx, black face (lowest 13501, highest 13501): *** Super Olympus I * 75/3.5, four elements, three groups ** marked Zuiko 1:3,5 f=7,5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx, white face (lowest 7242, highest 10727): *** Olympus Six II ** marked Zuiko 1:3,5 f=7,5cm Takatiho Tokyo No,xxxxx, white face (lowest 20309, highest 33856): *** Olympus Six (postwar) *** Olympus Chrome Six I *** Mamiya Six, some ** marked Zuiko 1:3.5 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx, black face: *** Elmoflex, some ** marked Olympus Zuiko Coated 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, white face: *** Olympus Chrome Six IIIA, some ** marked Olympus Zuiko Coated 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, red Zuiko, white face: *** Mamiya Six, some ** marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, red C., white face: *** Olympus Chrome Six I *** Olympus Chrome Six IIIA, some ** marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, red Zuiko C., white face: *** Mamiya Six, some ** marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm No.xxxxxx, black C., white face: *** Olympus Chrome Six I ** marked Olympus Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm xxxxxx or No,xxxxxx, white face: *** Olympus Chrome Six IIIA, some *** Mamiya Six, some *** Wester Chrome Six R, some ** marked Olympus Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm, black face: *** Olympus Flex BII, taking lens *** Olympus Flex A3.5, viewing lens on all, taking lens on some (?) *** Olympus Flex A3.5 II, viewing and taking lens on some *** Wagoflex, viewing and taking lens on some ** recomputed, marked Olympus D.Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, white face: *** Olympus Chrome Six IIIA, some *** Olympus Chrome Six IVA *** Olympus Chrome Six RIIA, some (black depth of field plate) ** marked Olympus D.Zuiko F.C. 1:3.5 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Chrome Six VA (white depth of field plate) *** Olympus Chrome Six RIIA, some (white depth of field plate) *** Olympus Flex A3.5, taking lens on some *** Olympus Flex A3.5 II, viewing and taking lens on some *** Mamiya Six, some *** Mamiyaflex, some * 75/3.5, five elements, three groups ** marked Zuiko–S 1:3,5 f=7,5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.1xxxx, white face (lowest 12126, highest 12126): *** Super Olympus II * 75/2.8, four elements, three groups ** marked Zuiko 1:2.8 f=7.5cm Takatiho Tokyo No.xxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Chrome Six II ** marked Olympus Zuiko Coated 1:2.8 f=7.5cm No.xxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Chrome Six II ** marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm No.xxxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Chrome Six II ** marked Olympus Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx or No,xxxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Chrome Six II *** Olympus Chrome Six IIIB *** Olympus Chrome Six IVB *** Olympus Chrome Six VB *** Olympus Chrome Six RIIB *** Olympus Flex I, viewing lens *** Olympus Flex BI, viewing lens *** Olympus Flex BII, viewing lens *** Olympus Flex A2.8, viewing lens on all, taking lens on some ** marked Olympus D.Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Flex A2.8, taking lens on some * 75/2.8, six elements, four groups ** marked Olympus F.Zuiko F.C. 1:2.8 f=7.5cm xxxxxx, black face: *** Olympus Flex I, taking lens *** Olympus Flex BI, taking lens 6.5×9cm lens * 105/4.5, four elements, three groups, first prototype lens made by Takachiho, intended for 6.5×9cm plate cameras Hagiya, p. 13 of no. 20. Aerial lenses * 200/4.5, four elements, three groups, marked ZUIKO 1:4.5 f=200mm Takatiho Noxxxx, for the Type 100 Small Aerial Camera (SK-100, 100式小航空写真機) "Orinpasu renzu hoi", p. 81 of no. 20, and example observed for sale at a dealer. * 250/4.5, four elements, three groups, for an Automatic Aerial Camera (自動航空写真機) Mentioned in "Orinpasu renzu hoi", p. 81 of no. 20. * 400/5.6, four elements, four groups, for the Type 100 Small Aerial Camera (SK-100, 100式小航空写真機) Enlarging lenses * 50/4.5 enlarging lens, sold ¥60 in 1941 Advertisement dated 1941, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura. * 75/4.5 enlarging lens, four elements, three groups, marked Olympus Zuiko C. 1:4,5 f=7,5cm xxxxxx "Orinpasu renzu hoi", p. 81 of no. 20. The example pictured has no. 104603. * 75/3.5 enlarging lens, four elements, three groups Notes Bibliography * Hagiya Takeshi (萩谷剛). "Orinpasu kamera no subete 1: supuringu kamera " (オリンパスカメラのすべて1・スプリングカメラ戦前編, "All of Olympus cameras 1: folding cameras prewar"). Pp. 13–5. * Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久). "Kamera-zukuri he no bōken" (カメラ創りへの冒険, "Venturing into camera production"). Volume 1 of [http://www.olympus-zuiko.com/dev_spirits/index.html Haikei — Sekkeisha yori] (拝啓・設計者より, "Dear Sir, from the designer"). Published in the Zuiko Club website, belonging to the Olympus Imaging Corp. * "Orinpasu renzu hoi" (オリンパスレンズ補遺, "Olympus lens appendix"). Anonymous column about various Zuiko lenses. P. 81. * Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "Orinpasu no rekishi" (オリンパスの歴史, "History of Olympus"). Pp. 6–9. * "Zadankai: Orinpasu no michi" (座談会・オリンパスの道, "Conversation: the way of Olympus"). Interview of Sakurai Eiichi (桜井栄一), Maitani Yoshihisa (米谷美久) and Kawazoe Mitsuo (河添光男), by Saeki Kakugorō (佐伯恪五郎). Pp. 64–71. Links In Japanese: * Advertisement for the Zuiko 50/4.5 enlarging lens published in 1941, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera, a page by Toshio Inamura Category: Olympus Category: Japanese lenses